The Portland daily press., 1887-11-17
NAMES LOBSTER FISHERY.
The Six smacks Which Did the susI-
ness In 1853.
Replaced by a Fleet of Forty Vessels
and 2 900 Small Boats.
Difficulties Which Beset the Fisher
mon and the Remedies they
Suggest.
rRockland courier Gazette.1

[Rockland Courier Gazette.l
For some time Deputy Labor Commissioner
Campbell Of this city has been making a
study Of the lobster fishery. and makes the
following report as the result Of his investi-
CATION:
"The coast Of Maine is so deeply indented
by bays and inlets that its actual shore line
is fully 24O0 miles in extent" Along this
shore are many of the chief cities. towns and
important industries of Maine One Of the
most important Of these industries Is the
catching, transportation. canning and sale
OF Holsters. This is an industry that has
grown in 30 years from a business that gave
employment to few score Of hands. "Why''
said fisherman the other day, "when first
went into the business in 1858 there were
but six smacks running Holsters in Maine
waters, four Of which were from New Lon
don, Conn. These smacks averaged about
four men to the smack. Five men caught at
that time twice the amount Of Holsters these
five smacks could carry. From this small in
dustry In 1850, 1t has grown to such vast pro-
portions that 1t now employs nearly 1000
boats, 40 sail Of vessels, and gives employ
ment to over 1000 fishermen, and the trans
portation smacks in Maine waters employ
more than one hundred men in freighting or
Transporting Holsters caught in Maine wa
tiers. This industry distributes in various
ways among the fishermen Of Maine gross
sum Of more than 100000 annually. The
business Of lobster catching In general re-
quires two men to boat, with 200 traps, at
a cost Of about $500 for the entire outfit.
The greater part Of the fishing Is carried on
In small boats, within a short distance Of the
fishermen's homes. A small part Of the fsh-
ermen in the open season live upon small un
inhabited islands and rocks, in rude camps
when fishing at distance from their homes.
In winter small number OF vessels are
employed in deep sea fishing Tor loDsters.
When cold weather comes on the Holsters
leave the shoal waters and seek deep water
and greater warmth. The lobster fishermen,
or most of them, are owners OF small homes
and few acres Of land on which they gem
orally raise their own vegetables. / ind
that some Of them are quite progressive
farmers. They have more Of chance to at
tend to farming than most other fishermen,
as they are always near their homes and are
occupied only part OF each day. In attend
ing 70 their traps. While passing up and
down our Maine coast you hear various com
plants from the fishermen, such as: The
government protects every industry In the
country but ours" There Is considerable OF
truth IN LnlS cOLupidluht lOI dAt thC lODobolo
that are shipped from the Provinces are al
lowed to come into our markets free OF duy,
and thousands are brought in by steamers
and smacks, at that season OF the year when
1t will work the greatest.damage 10 our f1sh-
ermen. The lobster fishery law Of the Prov
inces reads as follows; "It shall be unlawful
to fish for, catch, kill, buy, sell OF
without lawful excuse) possess any
Holsters from the Goth OF August to the
Goth of April, in each year. This law gives
fba frh ~ Iokarora m that vast coast
Of the Provinces the right to catch and sell;
and our government permits their vessels
and steamers to land In this country at that
time of the year when 1t will work the great
est damage TO our own fishermen, thousands
Of Holsters, free Of duty, thus Cutting the
market and thousands Of Holsters are SHOW
eled overheard in the markets for want OF
sale. Now our fishermen demand LOT one
thing that they shall be protected at this sea
son Of the year from this great influx Of lob
sters from the Provinces. "ln what way can
you be prOtected?" / asked an enterprlsing
fisherman. IF had my way" he replied,
II would place duty OF not less tnan nifty
cents per hundred pounds on every lobster
imported from the Provinces. This would
give about one cent to each on every lobster
brought here" "Why," said the same fish.
erman, ''these fellows from the Provinces
have our markets TO sell all their Holsters In,
when our American fishermen are not allow
ed to catch so much as crab me re-
marks Of this fisherman voices the Senti-
ments of all the hardy and enterprising men
in this business in our own state; and L
think that every fisherman along our Amert-
can coast, from Maine to the Gulf Of Mexico.
would echo the sentiments OF this fisherman.
Another great drawback to this industry,
the fishermen claim, "Is the unnecessary and
impracticable legislation on the lobster fish
cry that our own State has made from time
TO time for the purpose Of the better pr0tee-
ton of the lobster" The fishermen all
claim that they should have as little law as
possible In their business. They say: Let
the lobster alone, and nature will govern the
supply better than the blind laws Of men,"
When / asked one Of those wide-awake and
practical fishermen, who was man OF sixty.
and had spent his whole. life Ia the catching
and selling Of Holsters, and who had not on
ly the practical experience In his calling, but
who had given q great deal OF earnest study
to the question, and from time TO time had
written for the press, and had been before
the legislatures Of Maine, Massachusetts and
New York, and our national congress, as he
said, ito get sensible and practicable laws
passed on the lobster fisheries" II there
were anything in this cry that II the fisher
men are allowed to catch Holsters as they
have in the past. in very few years they
will kill off all the Holsters" he replied:
mo; Is it possible to gather up all
the mussels on our shores2 In my
mind it is just as impossible to kill out the
Holsters. LObsters must have room In which
70 grow. They can become oyerpoPulated
places in which to shed their shells and
spawn. They seek shelter beneath rocks,
seaweed, etc, and from these hiding places
il is impossible to catch them any way.
Each female lobster Is capable OF producing
10000 eggs, so think it is very plain that
the increase of Holsters will be sufficient to
supply the wants OF the people, IL they are
regulated by the demands OF the trade.
do more harm than good. For example, that
part of our law which prohibits persons and
corporations from canning between July LIST
and April 1st OF each year. Now this works
great injustice TO our fishermen in this wise:
After the 10Th Of September our fishermen
catch such great quantities that they in a
very little while Overst0ck the markets.
Then they begin 10 fill their cars and walt
for demand in the markets, and thousands
of Holsters die in these cars every day along
our coast. The other day smack came
along and / sold them the Holsters In my
car, and out of more than GOO found alive
only 100. Now this is the experience Of hun
dreds of our fishermen"
amount of food that 1t worse than thrown
away? | think 1t is the general demand
among the fishermen that the canning fac
tories shall be opened, as In the past; which
will not only save this vast waste OF Holsters,
but will revive the business In general.
When the markets were overstOeked, smacks
from these factories would call around
among the fishermen, and take their supply
OF Holsters and pay them good living price,
but now along our coast the traps have been
hauled out upon the banks because there Is
no sale for Holsters.
The fishermen clam that for number Of
wears past they have not made living, and
as one Of them said: 1--WE are very lucky II
we can keep out Of debt"
The lobster fishery is Of vast importance,
financial and otherwise, to our state and ma
tion. Tkese hardy and weather-beaten
fishermen, Us a whole, are intelligent and
enterprising, and in the past when our cOun-
try was In peril they, as a class, sprung to
the call of their country, and furnished well
trained seamen for our navy. They Justly
demand that our state and nation shall put
their protecting arms around our great
lobster fisheries, as has been done In the
case of our other great Industries.